3.5🌟
Kelly and teenage daughter Lauren have moved to a small Scottish island. A place where you can disappear. And old secrets can stay buried. A chance to start anew.

When Lauren suddenly goes missing, the ransom or should I say... demands aren't something Kelly is capable of paying. She’ll need to find another way to rescue her daughter.

This storyline took a while for me to warm up to. Our MC Kelly was a bit abrasive, hampering my ability to feel connected with her.

BUT…there are some great twists in in this book. A few I had figured out early, but the final one rocked me! Well Played!🙌🏼 Rounded up my rating for that ending!

This was my first read by this very popular author and I’ll be watching for more of his books in the future.

Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley

Family Doctor by J.M. Dalgliesh is a masterful blend of psychological tension and moral dilemmas, set against the eerie backdrop of a remote Scottish island. The premise is chillingly simple: Kelly, the island’s only doctor, is given an unthinkable ultimatum—kill one of her patients to save her kidnapped daughter. With only three days to decide, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and Dalgliesh pulls the reader into a relentless spiral of suspense and emotional turmoil.

Kelly is a deeply flawed and relatable protagonist, grappling with past mistakes, family tensions, and the crushing pressure of her situation. The short, punchy chapters heighten the tension, making it impossible to put the book down as each twist adds layers to the mystery. The story weaves between present-day terror and glimpses of Kelly’s and her daughter Lauren’s troubled past, slowly unraveling the "why" behind the abduction while keeping the "who" tantalizingly out of reach.

Dalgliesh’s writing is vivid and atmospheric, with the island’s isolation amplifying the sense of dread. The characters, even the secondary ones, are richly developed, and their interactions feel authentic. The moral questions posed—how far would you go to save your child?—are haunting and thought-provoking, lingering long after the last page.

The final act is packed with unexpected revelations and a twist I didn’t see coming, making for a satisfying yet emotionally charged conclusion. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that keep you guessing and on edge, Family Doctor is a must-read. Dalgliesh once again proves his mastery in crafting stories that are as gripping as they are emotionally resonant

A brilliant fast-paced thriller set on a Scottish Island giving it a locked-in feel, a favourite of mine.
Kelly is the only doctor serving this small island community and receives the most terrifying choice, to kill one of her patients in order to have her kidnapped daughter returned to her.
As the tension ramps up we also go back in time to discover how Kelly and her daughter Lauren came to be on the island. Has Kelly’s past finally caught up with her?
A great read with villains I never saw coming.

You have three days to kill one of your patients, or your daughter dies …

We follow Doctor Kelly as she tries to work out who would take her daughter and why.

Does this stem from the past, before they moved away to an island in Scotland?

In this intense psychological thriller, we see what makes everyone tick and how life works on this small island.

It is a dark thriller that left me feeling like I was on a funfair ride, going on one heck of a journey.

The author has a flair for sucking me into his writing, he is very creative.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

An engrossing read that investigates just how far someone will go when pushed.
This kept me engaged throughout although, if I'm totally honest I found it difficult to warm to Kelly throughout.
This is a combination of a family drama, a moral dilemma and a thriller and succeeded in merging the genres well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

Until halfway through the novel, the reader is kept in the dark. All one knows is that Kelly’s daughter, Lauren, has been kidnapped, and messages are being sent to urge her to kill a patient in exchange for Lauren’s life within a short time frame. The doctor, Kelly, is plunged into an invidious situation. It's a unique plot indeed.

In the first half, there’s considerable narrative and introspection about addressing the problem and figuring out who is behind it all. She's also a recovering alcoholic. However, it does provide the opportunity to examine the people within her sphere and speculate. Most extraordinary is her passive attitude to underage drinking and drugs, especially as a doctor. She is inclined to be obtuse in her logic, actions, and anticipation, but she is under massive pressure.

Then, we learn about her back story and why she’s living as a single mum with her stroppy, resentful teenager on the remote island of Jura. I judged Lauren's parents as grossly irresponsible, which explains a great deal of the plot. You reap what you sow. The book's second half is action-packed, tense, and sheer genius. Will she do the dastardly deed Lauren’s captor demands and save her daughter?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC

Fast paced and compulsive reading right until the very end, and an ending I could never have imagined. This is a book that I will definitely recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review

If you’re looking for your next thriller, Family Doctor is the book for you. You won’t look at your doctor the same after reading this book.

JM Dalgliesh delivers a gripping psychological thriller in Family Doctor, a story that plunges the reader into a chilling moral dilemma. The plot begins with a harrowing ultimatum: a doctor must kill someone to save her daughter. This sinister call sets the stage for a tale brimming with suspense, secrets, and consequences.

The story artfully weaves past and present, revealing how prior mistakes come back to haunt the characters, creating layers of tension. Dalgliesh’s writing is dark and evocative, capturing the protagonist’s turmoil and the psychological weight of her predicament. The build-up is expertly paced, keeping the reader engrossed and uneasy, with every twist amplifying the stakes.

What sets Family Doctor apart is its exploration of ethical boundaries and the fragility of human judgment under pressure. Readers will find themselves questioning how far they would go for love and justice. This novel is a must-read for fans of dark, emotionally intense thrillers that linger long after the final page.uild up is great on this story and I feel like you can really feel the darkness of the story in the writing.

What a shocking, fast paced thriller! Kelly and her teenage daughter Lauren move to a remote Scottish island to escape Kelly’s troubled past. She is the only doctor on the island and is now living a quiet life. Then the unthinkable happens; Lauren is abducted. The demand? Kelly has three days to kill one of her patients or Lauren dies. Despite a fairly basic premise, this book is dark, captivating and very tense. The atmosphere of the island adds to the drama. I recommend this fun book. With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

thank you so much net galley for this arc. i really enjoy this book., about a women who her daughter gets kidnappers what her to kill a paitent or her daughter will die. loved the twist and the setting on an island.. who should she choose the alcoholic abusive man or the retired church warden.?

I didn't love it but that's not to say it wasn't a good book. It just didn't grab me like some other books have. It was a good story with some surprises.

Your search for thriller perfection is over. My heart raced as I gorged myself on Family Doctor in a mere few hours, desperate to reach the end yet not wanting it to be over. It was intense, suspenseful and anxiety inducing in all the right places. The pace was snappy the entire time and the claustrophobic atmosphere seeped into my pores. Characters were compelling and the plot was superbly executed. Unique surprises met me around every bend. I also like that the novel wasn't gritty or gory. It was JUST right.

Dr. Kelly and her daughter Lauren live on a tiny isolated Scottish island that offers a unique lifestyle as islands are wont to do. When Lauren is taken (that prologue!), her kidnapper contacts Kelly with a short but chilling set of rules. In exchange for Lauren's life, Kelly must kill a patient. How does one process that? She starts to see her patients in a new light. Though help surrounds her, she must keep her dark secret to herself. One of the rules. Her mind races to the past, present and future but she only has 72 hours. Tick, tick, tick...

The ending is extremely gratifying and unpredictable. A thriller reader's dream!

My sincere thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this novel which had my stomach in knots!

It's a true family drama based thriller, where the daughter is kidnapped and there is ongoing historical issues within the family dynamics.

The characters are well developed, that the author cleverly has you suspecting one character, only to take you off in a completely different direction! I love thrillers that keep me guessing, and this one kept me pleasantly confused up to the last few chapters. I did eventually solve the mystery before reveal (note: I read ALOT of thrillers), but I was completely sucker punched by the twist at the end!

The chapters are beautifully short with a lot of punch; my favourite kind to pick up at bedtime for a quick read before lights out. I really enjoyed it. I liked that the main character Kelly was flawed and not in any cliche way, and enjoyed slowly learning about her history as the story progressed. I must admit, I did get rather attached to a side character (the neighbour) but I'm a sucker for a sweet love interest.

All in all, a read that I'd recommend if you love family dramas, and quick easy reads.

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!! This book was insane. All the plot twists left me dizzy in a good way. I think I found a new insta-buy author.

I have three days to kill a patient. If I fail, my daughter will die…
Fresh and dynamic... Fast-paced and spellbinding...a book you will have a hard time putting down.

Fantastic book. I loved the storyline line & the characters . Kept me up all night and I couldn't put it down, definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a psychological thriller and Bookouture never fails to deliver with the authors they publish in this genre so I jumped at the chance to read and review this book.

Kelly and her daughter Lauren moved to a small island off the coast of Edinburgh where they had hoped to start a new life. Kelly is the only doctor on the island and was enjoying the quiet life of seeing her patients in her medical practice next to her home and occasionally making the odd house call to patients who were unable to visit her. That is, until she receives a mysterious text message and voice note confirming that someone had taken her daughter and she has three days to kill one of her patients or else her daughter Lauren would die.

Kelly is plunged into the unknown having so idea who or why someone would have taken her daughter. She then has to struggle and come to terms with the fact that she has to kill an innocent patient in exchange for the life of her daughter.

For the majority of the book I had absolutely no idea who possibly could have put Kelly in this predicament. There are then some chapters woven into the story of an event that happened in Kelly and Lauren's past which sheds some light on the 'why' Lauren was taken. But it's still a mystery as to the 'who'. There was a big twist towards the end that I did not see coming.

With short snappy chapters that move the story along at pace this was an enjoyable read which had me racing through the pages. A definite recommendation to any readers who like a psychological thriller.

This book follows, Kelly, a doctor on a remote island in Scotland who has had her daughter kidnapped. The kidnapper threatens to kill her daughter if she doesn’t murder one of her patients. The story follows her as she reflects on past life changing events leading up to the kidnapping and on her present search to find her daughter and save her life. This book had a very original premise with many twists, complex characters, and unexpected details that kept you hooked from the beginning until the end, trying to figure out the truth of it all. Over the course of the book, I suspected many different characters, but didn’t see some of the twists coming at all. Overall, it was an enjoyable, fast paced read. Thank you to J M Dalgliesh, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

FAMILY DOCTOR by J. M. DALGLIESH.
Release date set for the 2nd of January 2025.
This is a shocking, suspenseful and a very tense book.
I haven't read a book like this one before.
I love a good fast paced book and this is just that.
Talk about putting someone in an impossible situation. WOW.
My first book by this author